Polish pianist Leszek Mozdzer has extended his nation's most renowned romantic classical composer's oeuvre to previously unchartered ethnic territory.
By BARRY DAVIS
Polish pianist Leszek Mozdzer is not the first jazz artist from his country to try his hand at taking Chopin material to more freely roaming areas of instrumental endeavor. However, it would be fair to suggest that he has extended his nation's most renowned romantic classical composer's oeuvre to previously unchartered ethnic territory.
Next Friday evening (January 30 at 10 p.m.), classically trained Mozdzer will take the stage at the Opera House in Tel Aviv along with Swedish jazz bass player and cellist Lars Danielsson and local ethnic percussion master Zohar Fresco in a show suitably entitled "Improvising Chopin" as part of the current Opera House Jazz Series.
The predominantly jazz-based program should appeal to a wide range of tastes. The first part of the concert will feature Mozdzer in a solo recital of jazz-oriented renditions of Chopin works, after which he will be joined by Danielsson, who will perform both on acoustic bass and cello. In the second half, Fresco will join the fray, adding a wide spectrum of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean rhythms and textures to Mozdzer and Danielsson's jazz-classical mix.
Despite their very different musical and ethnic upbringings, Mozdzer and Fresco are very familiar with each other's work and ethos, having performed throughout Europe on numerous occasions, and they toured this country several years ago. Danielsson is the pure jazz artist among the three, having played with many top jazz artists from the States and Europe; he has recorded albums of his own as leader.
For more information call: (03) 692-7777 or go to www.israel-opera.co.il.
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